Multi Physics Modelling of the Electrodeposition Process

This paper describes ongoing research into the development of multi-physics models of the electrodeposition process. This is part of the collaborative project - MEMSA (modelling the electrodeposition process for microsystems applications) - between the universities of Greenwich and Heriott-Watt, and our industrial partners: Merlin Circuits and Raytheon Systems. The aim of this research is to build numerical models that can predict all aspects of the electrodeposition process, and to verify these models against experimental data gathered. This paper focuses on model development for (i) the represention of the moving interface through a level-set technique, and (ii) the implementation of the associated moving boundary conditions and source terms together with considerations regarding the electrode kinetics boundary condition. Accurate modelling of the electrode kinetics is crucial to any electrodeposition model as it drives the deposition process and influences the distribution of the solved variables of which it is itself a non linear function. The multi-physics code PHYSICA provides the framework in which the electrodeposition models will be built. This paper will be of particular interest to applied modellers wanting to modify computational fluid dynamics (CFD) codes to simulate the electrodeposition process.